Tabarie Henry didn't mince words when discussing where he might be these days had he stayed in his hometown of Miami, Fla.

Harold Bechard - The Hutchinson News - hbechard@hutchnews.com

Wednesday

May 20, 2009 at 12:01 AMMay 20, 2009 at 6:00 PM

"I'd probably be in jail or dead," said Henry, a sophomore sprinter for the Barton County Cougars, who will be competing in the NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.

But Henry is alive and well and owes that and the success he's had on the track to the last couple years he's spent in Great Bend.

And, it's been quite a success story for more than just Henry.

Henry and teammate Ryan Brathwaite are not just two of the top junior college athletes in the country in their respective events - Henry at 400 meters and Brathwaite in the hurdles - but both have experienced the pinnacle of track and field.

Last year, the two Barton County athletes spent a few days in a city called Bejing, China, competing in an event called the Olympic Games.

It doesn't get any bigger than that.

The 21-year-old Henry, born in the Virgin Islands before moving to Miami with his parents when he was five years old, competed for the Virgin Islands at the Olympics.

Brathwaite is a native of Barbados and wore that country's uniform as he competed in the 110-meter hurdles in China.

Both young men had similar results. Each reached the semifinals of their respective events but fell just short of qualifying for the finals and having the opportunity to run for a medal.

Henry ran a 45.36 time in the first heat and 45.19 in the semifinals. He needed a time of 44.7 or lower to reach the finals.

"I still think about it. I ran the wrong race," said Henry, who didn't have the luxury of his college coach - Barton County's Matt Kane - with him at the Games. "I ran a dumb race. I ran with Jeremy (Wariner, former Olympic champion), he passed me and I tried to sprint with him and it messed me all up."

Henry knows all about great competition. He took second to Renny Quow in last year's NJCAA Outdoor championships. Quow later placed seventh in the Olympics while running for Trinidad & Tobago.

Henry's time of 45.09 in the 400 this year places him 12th in the world, and he is expected to battle South Plains' Latroy Williams (45.01), who has the seventh best time in the world.

But, all of this could have been for naught had Henry stayed home in Florida and tried to make a go of it there.

"Being here has helped me stay motivated and concentrated, because if I was back home in Miami ... I mean, I'm not a bad guy, but I tend to hang around bad friends," he said. "And, if I would have stayed home, I'd probably be in jail or dead by now because it's getting really rough in my area.

"So, by me being here in Great Bend, it's kept me out of trouble and kept me focused. So, I was very happy to come here."

Coach Kane is happy to have him. Henry's parents are both from Antigua but moved to the Virgin Islands, where their son was born. And then it was off to Miami, where Henry became one of the country's top high school sprinters.

"You're not going to meet a more loyal person," Kane said. "He's a hard-working kid that wants to be good. And, what separates him is his internal drive; his will to get better."

Because of the deep well of talented sprinters from the United States, Henry was encouraged by his high school coach to "find your roots, find your roots." He did and eventually competed for the Virgin Islands.

That phone call eventually led to a spot on the Olympic team and a trip to China.

"It was a tremendous experience," Henry said. "I can't imagine finding myself flying 15 hours to another continent. It was amazing. I broke my country's record twice in two days, made it to the semifinals and I was on TV twice, which was nice.

"I ran against Jeremy Wariner. It was a nice experience, something I'll never forget."

Brathwaite came as close as you can to reaching the Olympic finals without getting there. Eight athletes advanced to the 110 hurdle finals and Brathwaite was ninth overall after running 13.38 in the first heat and 13.34 in the semifinals.

"I was very disappointed because I thought I could have won a medal," said Brathwaite, who is the defending NJCAA Outdoor champion in the high hurdles. "But, being in the Olympics was amazing and very exciting to me."

But, not exciting enough for the soft-spoken Brathwaite to get nervous. That's not his style, even when he's lining up for the semifinals of the Olympic Games with over 100,000 fans looking on.

"I don't get nervous, I just go out there and do it," Brathwaite said. "People don't stop me running or get me nervous. I just run. That's how I look at it."

Brathwaite, who is the South American and Central American record holder in the hurdles, feels like he has another shot at the Olympics in three years. But, at the moment, he's more concerned about helping his team winning an NJCAA Outdoor title.

The 20-year-old Brathwaite will be heavily favored to win his event. He has a personal-best of 13.05 this season, which is a whopping .70 seconds faster than the second-best time in the event.

"He's a great kid and a hard worker," Kane said. "He definitely has a passion for the event. He understands the event and makes adjustments as well as anyone I've coached."

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